Acetone is my nemesis

[Davids5104]

So i watched some videos on how to use acetone. read some websites about it. Read some first hand accounts on the practice. Then I went to home depot and acquired the product along with a glass pyrex dish to put the coins in.

 

I had some mercs and silver roosies and lincolns that were dug out of the ground with my metal detector to practice on.... They were truly filthy coins but warm water and dish soap did all it could

 

So i thought acetone would remove this organic material. I let the coins sit for almost 24hrs and no difference. I tried a handful of other coins by now as well and let them spend the evening soaking.

 

I have of course removed PVC from some rubbish coins which is one of its claim to fame...

 

I guess my questions are.... Other than PVC, fingerprints, what does acetone do? also how do you all fish the coins out of the acetone?

[KeyMan64]

Acetone is NOT a powerful chemical. Some people will leave coins in acetone for a week or longer. Acetone is safe to touch as it is the primary ingredient in nail polish remover...always making contact with skin. Just wash your hands after.

 

Highly flammable and will evaporate quickly if you do not seal/cover that dish with something...even saran wrap will work assuming you can get a 100% seal. A rubber band will help. Keep it in a well ventilated area.

[AHFreak]

In my opinion acetone is completely useless for coins. I also don't believe it is safe, that stuff is absorbed through your skin faster than it evaporates. I was also told by a chemist that once a safer alternative is found, acetone will be placed on the long list of chemicals that cause cancer and banned for use just like the hundreds of chemicals before it.

[KeyMan64]

In my opinion acetone is completely useless for coins. I also don't believe it is safe, that stuff is absorbed through your skin faster than it evaporates. I was also told by a chemist that once a safer alternative is found, acetone will be placed on the long list of chemicals that cause cancer and banned for use just like the hundreds of chemicals before it.

Interesting. Although I would not be surprised, since little surprises me these days, but you would think almost 100% of the female population would have cancer based on this line of thinking. Heck, small amounts of acetone are even produced in the human body by the decarboxylation of ketone bodies. It isn't like he is bathing in the acetone daily anyways. If you are nervous of acetone, uncover the container to let the rest evaporate which won't take long, rinse out with water etc...or whatever. There are also rubber gloves you can use.

[skippy]

Please don't pour acetone down the sink. Let it evaporate.

 

Larger quantities should be taken to a hazardous waste disposal site.

[Hard Times]

In my opinion acetone is completely useless for coins. I also don't believe it is safe, that stuff is absorbed through your skin faster than it evaporates. I was also told by a chemist that once a safer alternative is found, acetone will be placed on the long list of chemicals that cause cancer and banned for use just like the hundreds of chemicals before it.

 

Large doses are definitely not healthy. Don't breathe it in either, use it only in a well ventilated area. Carcinogenic? Probably in large exposures it could be,just like other solvents like CCl4. Does not react with metal. But it does remove some types of organic films and PVC on coins so there is a good use for it. I used acetone to remove lacquer from a Conder token that may have been put on 2 centuries ago, so it does have its uses in coin conservation.

 

The human body produces acetone so I don't know how it could be banned

 

 

From Wikipedia:

 

"Acetone is produced and disposed of in the human body through normal metabolic processes. It is normally present in blood and urine. People with diabetes produce it in larger amounts. Reproductive toxicity tests show that it has low potential to cause reproductive problems. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children have higher levels of acetone.[15] Ketogenic diets that increase acetone in the body are used to counter epileptic attacks in infants and children who suffer from recalcitrant refractory epilepsy."

 

"Health information

 

Acetone has been studied extensively and is generally recognized to have low acute and chronic toxicity if ingested and/or inhaled.[38] Acetone is not currently regarded as a carcinogen, a mutagenic chemical or a concern for chronic neurotoxicity effects.[37]

 

Acetone can be found as an ingredient in a variety of consumer products ranging from cosmetics to processed and unprocessed foods. Acetone has been rated as a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substance when present in beverages, baked foods, desserts, and preserves at concentrations ranging from 5 to 8 mg/L.[38]

 

Toxicology

 

Acetone is believed to exhibit only slight toxicity in normal use, and there is no strong evidence of chronic health effects if basic precautions are followed."

 

Best, HT

[Davids5104]

I am a pharmacist as my career AND BY NO MEANS AN EXPERT,and never learned anything other than chemical structure of acetone. Our bodies produce aceTATE as part of various metabolic processes. Pharmacists use acetic acid for things and acetyl CoA is a big deal for various reactions within the body. Regardless of what wikipedia says acetone is not produced in meaningful amounts but its chemically similar acetate is. In fact we order a blood test called a BMP and it has carbon dioxide as one of the seven results. If your carbon dioxide is low we give you sodium or potassium acetate to increase it because acetate gets converted to CO2. It should also be noted our bodies produce all kinds of toxic compounds, so just because our body also "produces it" doesn't make it something i want to unnecessarily expose myself to...... anyway, i digress....I

 

Does anyone know the answer to the questions..."I guess my questions are.... Other than PVC, fingerprints, what does acetone do? "

 

 

[KeyMan64]

It will tend to loosen dirt, grime etc... but acetone is not going to be a magical liquid to fix most things...

[bsshog40]

I have used acetone many times. Mostly for disolving tape residue and gunk on coins. Doesn't really work very well for crusty stuff. I've used it on glass watch crystals to remove glue also. The only adverse effects I've had from just reaching in and grabbing my coins out of a dish of acetone is it dries my skin out a little. Nothing major. Acetone doesn't perform miracles on coins, just cleans off oils, glues, tape residue is what I've encountered. Now for that crusty stuff, get you a jar of virgin olive oil and throw them coins in there for a few weeks.

[e1cnr]

wood handled Q-Tips/cotton ear cleaners, can be moistened and rolled over the surfaces to help remove stuff. The plastic handles ones do not work, as the plastic melts.

[ldhair]

So i watched some videos on how to use acetone. read some websites about it. Read some first hand accounts on the practice. Then I went to home depot and acquired the product along with a glass pyrex dish to put the coins in.

 

I had some mercs and silver roosies and lincolns that were dug out of the ground with my metal detector to practice on.... They were truly filthy coins but warm water and dish soap did all it could

 

So i thought acetone would remove this organic material. I let the coins sit for almost 24hrs and no difference. I tried a handful of other coins by now as well and let them spend the evening soaking.

 

I have of course removed PVC from some rubbish coins which is one of its claim to fame...

 

I guess my questions are.... Other than PVC, fingerprints, what does acetone do? also how do you all fish the coins out of the acetone?

Acetone is great for PVC, dust, some glues and stuff you don't know what it is. It works on some things but not everything. It won't remove old fingerprints or corrosion on dug up coins.

 

Not all coins come out of an acetone bath looking better. You never know what the surface of the coin is like under something that acetone removes. The toning may be very different than the rest of the coin.

 

Junk that collects on the surface of a coin can hide tiny marks. Acetone may make them more visible. Just some stuff to think about.

[coinman_23885]

I am a pharmacist as my career AND BY NO MEANS AN EXPERT,and never learned anything other than chemical structure of acetone. Our bodies produce aceTATE as part of various metabolic processes. Pharmacists use acetic acid for things and acetyl CoA is a big deal for various reactions within the body. Regardless of what wikipedia says acetone is not produced in meaningful amounts but its chemically similar acetate is. In fact we order a blood test called a BMP and it has carbon dioxide as one of the seven results. If your carbon dioxide is low we give you sodium or potassium acetate to increase it because acetate gets converted to CO2. It should also be noted our bodies produce all kinds of toxic compounds, so just because our body also "produces it" doesn't make it something i want to unnecessarily expose myself to...... anyway, i digress....I

 

Does anyone know the answer to the questions..."I guess my questions are.... Other than PVC, fingerprints, what does acetone do? "

 

 

Acetone is used on coins as an organic solvent that helps to remove or loosen organic debris. Nothing more. It will not produce the drastic results of a coin dip which removes a layer of metal by using an acidic solution. It does not work on inorganic debris (like-polarity solvent will dissolve a like-polarity solute only). I agree with the others that it isn't a miracle chemical, but is a great tool of first resort because it won't damage a coin's surface.

 

Acetone is safe to use. I always use gloves and use it in a well ventilated area. Prolonged exposure to bare skin can cause irritation. As long as you take reasonable precautions (gloves and you don't ingest it, huff it, etc.), I don't see a problem. As most pharmacologists will tell you, the difference is the dose/amount of exposure. Every substance, including pure water, is lethal in sufficient quantities. I am sure if you took a bath with it everyday or used it as a heavy cologne every day for several years, you might have a problem. Using it on a limited basis and using basic chemical handling precautions, I find it hard to believe that it will have adverse health effects.

 

Finally, with regards to pharmacy school, I am very surprised that they don't teach you about acetone. It is a normal human metabolite resulting from the oxidation of fatty acids. This occurs in everyone to a certain degree, and there are a number of normal conditions that can trigger ketosis in larger amounts. Most of the time this isn't a problem, but in significant concentrations it can be a problem. In large concentrations (along with other ketone bodies), it alters the pH of the blood and can cause ketoacidosis such as is seen in diabetics. This is also why diabetics can have a fruity smell on their breath - you are smelling acetone and other ketones.

 

[Davids5104]

we talked about them as a group, not specifically the home depot version. the main ketone we evaluate diabetics for is beta hydroxybutarate not acetone. There is no blood test for acetone. There are so many pathways it would be impossible to learn or discuss them all. also acetone and other ketones are not drug targets.

 

Thanks for everyones answers. I guess i was expecting more. I will just stick with PVC removing.....(what to do with 2 quarts of acetone.....)

[coinman_23885]

we talked about them as a group, not specifically the home depot version. the main ketone we evaluate diabetics for is beta hydroxybutarate not acetone. There is no blood test for acetone. There are so many pathways it would be impossible to learn or discuss them all. also acetone and other ketones are not drug targets.

 

Thanks for everyones answers. I guess i was expecting more. I will just stick with PVC removing.....(what to do with 2 quarts of acetone.....)

 

Beta hydroxybutyrate and acetoaceitic acid are predecessor molecules in the pathway and are eventually metabolized into ketones. The latter produces acetone as a metabolite later in the pathway. The reason why I asked in sometimes professors mention things as interesting asides, and it is something that I thought might have come up since it is well known. What you're saying makes a lot of sense though - you only care about the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and not necessarily the underlying biochemistry.

[coinman1794]

I am a pharmacist as my career AND BY NO MEANS AN EXPERT,and never learned anything other than chemical structure of acetone. Our bodies produce aceTATE as part of various metabolic processes. Pharmacists use acetic acid for things and acetyl CoA is a big deal for various reactions within the body. Regardless of what wikipedia says acetone is not produced in meaningful amounts but its chemically similar acetate is. In fact we order a blood test called a BMP and it has carbon dioxide as one of the seven results. If your carbon dioxide is low we give you sodium or potassium acetate to increase it because acetate gets converted to CO2. It should also be noted our bodies produce all kinds of toxic compounds, so just because our body also "produces it" doesn't make it something i want to unnecessarily expose myself to...... anyway, i digress....I

 

Does anyone know the answer to the questions..."I guess my questions are.... Other than PVC, fingerprints, what does acetone do? "

 

 

Acetone will remove micro layers of organic contaminants, and PVC, but nothing else. It will not remove toning or heavy build-up, and is not going to remove dirt or verdigris from excavated coins. It will only remove prints of they are fresh and not part of the toning.

[leeg]

Wearing appropriate gloves won't hurt.

[physics-fan3.14]

I don't wear gloves when dealing with acetone - I fish them out with my fingers.

 

I ain't skeered.

 

I'm sure in very large quantities, ingested, or breathed in it probably isn't the best for you, but a little bit on the fingers really hasn't hurt anyone yet, that I know of. The fact that it is flammable is probably a much bigger concern.

 

For dirt on the coin, acetone isn't the best. Most "dirt" isn't organic matter. For these coins, distilled water and mechanical agitation is going to be your best approach (I use a Q-Tip). Acetone is good for PVC, glues, adhesives, films, or other carbon based contaminants.

 

 

[Buffalo Head]

As a retired machinist let me tell ya straight up. DO NOT handle acetone. It will absolutely dry your skin out to where your skin will crack open. Use gloves.

[Nutmeg Coin]

Good comments on this thread; just curious if desirable dirt on crusty, silver and gold coins would be ill-affected by acetone? The story is different on non-metals like currency, acetone will damage currency if not careful.

[RWB]

"Acetone will remove micro layers of organic contaminants, and PVC, but nothing else."

 

Also read coinman_23885's post. Good info.

 

 

[mark]

Davids5104:

 

To answer your question (what to do with 2 quarts of acetone., acetone also softens super glue, so you could have a great deal of fun super gluing your fingers together and than pouring acetone over them. Incidentally, did not I learn this fact from first-hand experience; it was my wife who super-glued her fingers together.

[Davids5104]

Davids5104:

 

To answer your question (what to do with 2 quarts of acetone., acetone also softens super glue, so you could have a great deal of fun super gluing your fingers together and than pouring acetone over them. Incidentally, did not I learn this fact from first-hand experience; it was my wife who super-glued her fingers together.

 

 

HAHA. I have a 4yr old... i will remember this

[SunriseW]

I've had success using isopropyl alcohol to remove PVC from some coins. Given the safety and availability of isopropyl alcohol, why even bother with acetone?

[physics-fan3.14]

I've had success using isopropyl alcohol to remove PVC from some coins. Given the safety and availability of isopropyl alcohol, why even bother with acetone?

 

Acetone is perfectly safe. Isopropyl alcohol is actually made from acetone, quite often. That is why it has many of the same properties and dangers as acetone.

[thetracer]

Didn't the OP say they were metal detector finds? Well, he just has a whole bunch of chemical decomposition on the coins which nothing much will remove, except maybe whizzing them!